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Elixir (programming language)

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Elixir
elixir programming language
Elixir
Paradigmsmulti-paradigm: functional, concurrent, distributed, process-oriented
Designed byJosé Valim
First appeared2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Stable release
1.17.2[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 6 July 2024; 17 days ago (6 July 2024)
Typing disciplinedynamic, strong
PlatformErlang
LicenseApache License 2.0[2]
Filename extensions.ex, .exs
Websiteelixir-lang.org
Influenced by
Clojure, Erlang, Ruby
Influenced
Gleam, LFE

Elixir is a functional, concurrent, high-level general-purpose programming language that runs on the BEAM virtual machine, which is also used to implement the Erlang programming language.[3] Elixir builds on top of Erlang and shares the same abstractions for building distributed, fault-tolerant applications. Elixir also provides tooling and an extensible design. The latter is supported by compile-time metaprogramming with macros and polymorphism via protocols.[4]

The community organizes yearly events in the United States,[5] Europe,[6] and Japan,[7] as well as minor local events and conferences.[8][9]

History

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José Valim created the Elixir programming language as a research and development project at Plataformatec. His goals were to enable higher extensibility and productivity in the Erlang VM while maintaining compatibility with Erlang's ecosystem.[10][11]

Elixir is aimed at large-scale sites and apps. It uses features of Ruby, Erlang, and Clojure to develop a high-concurrency and low-latency language. It was designed to handle large data volumes. Elixir is also used in telecommunications, e-commerce, and finance.[12]

In 2021, the Numerical Elixir effort was announced with the goal of bringing machine learning, neural networks, GPU compilation, data processing, and computational notebooks to the Elixir ecosystem.[13]

Versioning

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Each of the minor versions supports a specific range of Erlang/OTP versions.[14] The current stable release version is 1.17.2[1] Edit this on Wikidata.

Features

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Examples

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The following examples can be run in an iex shell or saved in a file and run from the command line by typing elixir <filename>.

Classic Hello world example:

iex> IO.puts("Hello World!")
Hello World!

Pipe operator:

iex> "Elixir" |> String.graphemes() |> Enum.frequencies()
%{"E" => 1, "i" => 2, "l" => 1, "r" => 1, "x" => 1}

iex> %{values: 1..5} |> Map.get(:values) |> Enum.map(& &1 * 2)
[2, 4, 6, 8, 10]

iex> |> Enum.sum()
30

Pattern matching (a.k.a. destructuring):

iex> %{left: x} = %{left: 5, right: 8}
iex> x
5

iex> {:ok, [_ | rest]} = {:ok, [1, 2, 3]}
iex> rest
[2, 3]

Pattern matching with multiple clauses:

iex> case File.read("path/to/file") do
iex>   {:ok, contents} -> IO.puts("found file: #{contents}")
iex>   {:error, reason} -> IO.puts("missing file: #{reason}")
iex> end

List comprehension:

iex> for n <- 1..5, rem(n, 2) == 1, do: n*n
[1, 9, 25]

Asynchronously reading files with streams:

1..5
|> Task.async_stream(&File.read!("#{&1}.txt"))
|> Stream.filter(fn {:ok, contents} -> String.trim(contents) != "" end)
|> Enum.join("\n")

Multiple function bodies with guards:

def fib(n) when n in [0, 1], do: n
def fib(n), do: fib(n-2) + fib(n-1)

Relational databases with the Ecto library:

schema "weather" do
  field :city     # Defaults to type :string
  field :temp_lo, :integer
  field :temp_hi, :integer
  field :prcp,    :float, default: 0.0
end

Weather |> where(city: "Kraków") |> order_by(:temp_lo) |> limit(10) |> Repo.all

Sequentially spawning a thousand processes:

for num <- 1..1000, do: spawn fn -> IO.puts("#{num * 2}") end

Asynchronously performing a task:

task = Task.async fn -> perform_complex_action() end
other_time_consuming_action()
Task.await task

[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Release 1.17.2". 6 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  2. ^ "elixir/LICENSE at master · elixir-lang/elixir · GitHub". GitHub.
  3. ^ "Most Popular Programming Languages of 2018 - Elite Infoworld Blog". 2018-03-30. Archived from the original on 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  4. ^ "Elixir". José Valim. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  5. ^ "ElixirConf". Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  6. ^ "ElixirConf". Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  7. ^ "Erlang & Elixir Fest". Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  8. ^ "Elixir LDN". Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  9. ^ "EMPEX - Empire State Elixir Conference". Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  10. ^ Elixir - A modern approach to programming for the Erlang VM. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
  11. ^ José Valim - ElixirConf EU 2017 Keynote. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  12. ^ "Behinde the code: The One Who Created Elixir". Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  13. ^ "Numerical Elixir (Nx)". Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  14. ^ Elixir is a dynamic, functional language designed for building scalable and maintainable applications: elixir-lang/elixir, Elixir, 2019-04-21, retrieved 2019-04-21
  15. ^ a b c d e f "Elixir". Retrieved 2014-09-07.
  16. ^ "Writing assertive code with Elixir". 24 September 2014. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
  17. ^ Loder, Wolfgang (12 May 2015). Erlang and Elixir for Imperative Programmers. "Chapter 16: Code Structuring Concepts", section title "Actor Model": Leanpub. Retrieved 7 July 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  18. ^ Wlaschin, Scott (May 2013). "Railway Oriented Programming". F# for Fun and Profit. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.

Further reading

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